officiate

verb

of·​fi·​ci·​ate ə-ˈfi-shē-ˌāt 

officiated; officiating

intransitive verb

1

: to perform a ceremony, function, or duty

officiate at a wedding

2

: to act in an official capacity : act as an official (as at a sports contest)

transitive verb

1

: to carry out (an official duty or function)

2

: to serve as a leader or celebrant of (a ceremony)

3

: to administer the rules of (a game or sport) especially as a referee or umpire

officiation

ə-ˌfi-shē-ˈā-shən 

noun

Examples of officiate in a Sentence

The bishop officiated the memorial Mass.

Two referees officiated the hockey game.

Recent Examples on the Web

On hand to officiate at the brief Catholic service was Reverend Charles J O’Byrne of New York’s Church of St Ignatius Loyola, where John’s mother Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s funeral was held in 1994. —Radhika Seth, Vogue, 7 Mar. 2026

Jokic and the Nuggets have long held the belief that smaller players are allowed to get away with more contact when defending bigs in the post, in contrast to how driving guards are officiated. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2026

The groom's sister even officiated the ceremony. —Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Mar. 2026

Junior umpires officiate games from Shetland through Bronco divisions, with adult umpires primarily covering Pony games. —Stephanie Ogilvie, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin officiātus, past participle of officiāre "to perform a function, perform priestly duties," going back to Late Latin officiārī "to perform a function," derivative of Latin officium "duty, office"

First Known Use

1623, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for officiate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

Kids Definition

officiate

verb

of·​fi·​ci·​ate ə-ˈfish-ē-ˌāt 

officiated; officiating

1

: to perform a ceremony

officiate at a wedding

2

: to act as an officer

officiated at the annual meeting

3

: to enforce the rules of (a game or sport)

officiate a soccer match